Southwest Chicken Quinoa Bean Salad

DESCRIPTION
Southwest Chicken Quinoa Bean Salad is a hearty, delicious salad that’s more like a meal. I have two dressing recipes for you to choose from – cilantro lime and a creamy southwest dressing with yogurt and sour cream. This salad recipe is a keeper for warm summer months!

INGREDIENTSCilantro Lime Salad Dressing:

½ cup roughly chopped Cilantro

½ cup Olive Oil

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 teaspoon Honey

1 teaspoon Chipotle Powder

1 teaspoon Oregano

1 teaspoon Salt

Creamy Southwest Salad Dressing:

1/4 cup Sour Cream

1/4 cup Greek Yogurt

½ cup roughly chopped Cilantro

½ cup Olive Oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 teaspoon Honey

1 teaspoon Chipotle Powder

1 teaspoon Oregano

1 teaspoon Salt

For the Salad:

2 cups Lettuce

2 cups cooked Quinoa

1 cup Black Beans, drained

¾ cup roasted Corn

1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half

2 Grilled Chicken Breasts

1/2 cup preferred Salad Dressing

INSTRUCTIONS

Salad Dressing: For either dressings, blend all the respective ingredients in a blender till smooth.

Assembling the salad: Transfer all the ingredients for the salad in a bowl and toss with the dressing. If serving later, pour the dressing just before serving to avoid the salad from getting soggy.

NOTES

How to cook Chicken Breasts: If you are making the cilantro lime dressing, you can use a portion of the dressing to marinate the chicken for ten minutes and then cook the chicken for 6-7 minutes on each side. If you are using the creamy southwest dressing, marinate the chicken in minced garlic, salt and pepper for ten minutes and continue to cook it.

How to cook Quinoa: I’ve mostly seen two varieties of quinoa in supermarkets here – red and white. Either of them work for the recipe. To cook quinoa, it’s really important to wash it thoroughly with water to get rid of the bitter coating that can give quinoa it’s weird taste. Once washed, cook quinoa in water or broth with 1:2 quinoa to liquid ratio till soft and fluffy.

Roasted Corn: I prefer roasting my own corn at home for this salad, but you can buy pre-roasted corn or even use frozen corn that is thawed for this recipe.

Black Beans: Black beans are my favourite in this recipe, but you can substitute them with kidney beans or any other beans that you have on hand. Make sure the beans are cooked well.